Sisi Museum Tours

36 reviews

Sisi, or Empress Elizabeth, was the wife of Franz Josef 1 of Austria who she married when she was only 16. She was very beautiful and strictly maintained her 20 inch (50 cm) waistline! The headstrong girl from Munich gained a reputation for rejecting court etiquette and being a bit of free-spirit. But after the death of her daughter Sophie, Sisi became ill herself and began often going south for the warmth, separate from her husband, to write poetry and meet with a string of lovers. When her beloved son Crown-Prince Rudolf died tragically in a murder-suicide pact with his lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera, Sisi was inconsolable. In 1898, aged 60, in Geneva, she herself died, assassinated by a young anarchist, Luigi Lucheni.

Her life was like a soap opera and these days she is a cult figure. The Sisi Museum houses hundreds of her personal belongings as well as a history of her fascinating life.

Practical Info

The Sisi Museum is located in the Imperial Palace (Hofburg). The closest metro station is Herrengasse on line U3. Or tram 1, 2, D and J, get off at stop Burgring. Buses 2A and 3A stop at Hofburg.

Discover Imperial-era Vienna with an independent sightseeing package, themed around the life of Austria’s Empress Elisabeth. Also known as Sisi, the popular Austrian royal ruled in the late 1800s, and left her mark around the capital. Follow in her footsteps with visits to Hofburg and Schönbrunn palaces, and see Habsburg dynasty artifacts at the Imperial Furniture Collection. The combo package also includes dinner at a restaurant near Schönbrunn Palace and a classical music concert at the Schönbrunn Palace Orangery. Tickets can be used on different days.